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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27258718">The Case of the Harrowing Wraith</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twiranux/pseuds/Signalius'>Signalius (Twiranux)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Video Blogging RPF</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Character Turned Into a Ghost, Epilogue, Father-Son Relationship, Fluffy Ending, Gallows Humor, Gen, Halloween, Horror, Late Night Conversations, Late at Night, M/M, Magic, Mild Gore, Some Humor, Temporary Character Death, Undead, Vampires, Weird Plot Shit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-10-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-11-01</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-07 01:16:07</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>5,083</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27258718</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Twiranux/pseuds/Signalius</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Drew murmurs, tussling and shifting around the passenger seat, getting as comfortable as possible. He flicks his eyes over to Danny, noticing a smile on the man’s face, showing no sign of tiredness. </p><p>“You seem pretty hyped, considering it’s so late,” Drew comments.</p><p>“I’ve been waiting all year just to make this very Halloween-centric video, is all. I want to make this authentic.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Danny Gonzalez/Drew Gooden</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>21</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Reap What You Sow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Boo! A crack-esque plot, and blink-and-you-miss-it fluff? You love to see it.<br/>Alternate, Wackier Title: Spooky Murderer [The Final Installment Where Danny Actually Commits a Crime]</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Dim-lit streets on the edge of a little town flicker, just enough to barely illuminate the interior of the vehicle. A brushing of fog on the car windows further diminishes the strength of the light coming in. The muffled rumbling of the engine manages to keep both driver and passenger awake, more so the passenger balancing on the tipping point of drowsiness and alert consciousness.</p><p>Drew stares down the seemingly endless road ahead of them. Observing the slowly narrowing path, goosebumps begin to crawl onto his skin, his arm and leg hairs sticking out like needles. His eyebrows furrow, with a look of apprehension growing on his face. Turning his wrist toward him, he checks the clock. 2:44 AM. A long evening awaits their proper arrival.</p><p>"Isn't it over the top to go to the woods in the dead of night?" Drew groans, his back sliding down against the seat.</p><p>"Okay, I get that you might be a little tense, but I'm quite familiar with this place. It's actually rather nice to go on a walk there during sunset." Danny ensures, his eyes glancing over for a moment before returning his focus to the road.</p><p>"Sunset and dusk are completely different times with completely different vibes." Drew sighs, withdrawing his argument. "But fine, I trust you." </p><p>“Just drowse off for a bit, I’ll wake you up when we get there.”</p><p>Drew murmurs, tussling and shifting around the passenger seat, getting as comfortable as possible. He flicks his eyes over to Danny, noticing a smile on the man’s face, showing no sign of tiredness. </p><p>“You seem pretty hyped, considering it’s so late,” Drew comments.</p><p>“I’ve been waiting all year just to make this very Halloween-centric video, is all. I want to make this authentic.”</p>
<hr/><p>The wallop of the car doors closing shut disrupt the subdued ambiance; the chill breeze brushing up against the backs of the two YouTubers and scruffing up both of their hairstyles. </p><p>With keys jingling, Danny locks the car, watching the headlights flash momentarily before turning his attention to Drew.</p><p>“Alright, stay right here, I need to run ahead and see if the set wasn't messed with."</p><p>"Don't you want me to come with you?" Drew grabs for Danny's wrist, yet only clutching at the cloth of his hoodie. </p><p>"I'll only be a few minutes, I'll text you when you can come over to the set. I want it to be a surprise," Danny clarifies, rotating his wrist to return the grasp and lightly squeezing Drew’s hand.</p><p>“Well, don’t take too long. Not that I’m afraid of the dark or anything.” </p><p>Loosening his grip, Drew leers ambivalently at Danny, unapproving of being left alone with unfamiliar surroundings. His hands retreat into his pockets, wearing a sarcastically stoic look on his face.</p><p>With a nod, Danny rushes off into the depths of the woods.</p><p>In contrast, Drew keeps his word and remains within the parking area, altering between walking around or leaning against the car. A long 20 minutes of seclusion pass before a string of notifications ring through to Drew’s phone. He checks the time before staring at his and Danny’s message log. It is approximately 3 AM, the YouTube bad luck number.</p><p>
  <em> Okay all good </em>
</p><p>
  <em> Just take the same road down that I did </em>
</p><p>
  <em> you'll know it when you see me n the set lmao </em>
</p><p>"Okay," Drew murmurs, sending a quick '<em> ok, omw </em>' in response.</p><p>Taking a deep breath, he begins walking into the woods—each step getting further away from the pale-yellow light of the street lamps—and into a blind embrace upon darkness. His eyes are slow in adjusting within the nightfall, yet he continues to shuffle his feet forward, his instinct taking over. Slowly, Drew becomes surrounded by the trees, the once clearly marked path vanishing into the brush and grass. The moon hides behind an influx of clouds, further hindering Drew’s vision and sense of direction.</p><p>In the distance, a glow peeks through the jagged shapes, illuminating the aforementioned set. Drew’s face lights up in relief, picking up his walking speed.</p><p>A figure jumps out suddenly, right in the path of Drew.</p><p>"GRAH!" Danny yells at the top of his lungs, sticking his hands out as far as he can. He further exaggerates his act by shambling a few steps closer to Drew.</p><p>Drew opens his mouth, but no words come out. A mental spark surges from his brain, traveling outwards—his extremities seize up, curling with uncomfortable tension. His body freezes up from head to toe, tipping over and landing face-first onto the ground.</p><p>"Did I get you bad?" Danny laughs proudly. "Got it filmed too! Spooky boy for life!"</p><p>Slowly, the laughter ceases, replacing the humorous atmosphere with a harrowing silence. Drew continues to lay face down, unmoving. The muscles in his legs go from tense to limp, his fingers slowly uncurl, as the tint of his skin begins to turn into a paler tone.</p><p>"Hey, Drew?"</p><p>Danny approaches cautiously, his grin transforming into a quivering frown. He reaches his hand out, trembling as he inches closer and closer.  His fingertips lightly brush against Drew's hair.</p><p>"Drew?"</p><p>No response.</p><p>More silence with the exception of the crisp wind blowing past.</p><p>"That was awful. You didn't even scare me one bit." Drew's voice echoes, the source of the sound coming from beyond Danny's field of vision.</p><p>Springing up to his feet, Danny quickly turns to his left. His jaw drops, mouth hanging open, the blood from his fingertips growing cold and numb. A dizzying and dark vignette begins to cloud his vision, unable to focus on what is in front of him.</p><p>A foggy, slightly desaturated afterimage version of Drew hovers above the undisturbed forest floor. </p><p>"If anything, <em> you </em> look fucking shocked. I thought this was supposed to be your big scare to me," he continues with what could be construed as a smirk.</p><p>"D-D-Drew...you…" Danny mutters, taking a step back from the aberration.</p><p>"You can quit the acting. You got the reaction prank you needed, right? Kind of a dick move though."</p><p>Danny pulls his phone up, looking at the screen. The afterimage is nowhere to be found in the preview; in fact, the camera didn't function at all, backing out of the application completely.</p><p>"What the fuck!" Trembling, Danny throws his phone close to the drifting mass, watching it passing through the apparition and landing into a small pile of leaves.</p><p>"Hey, come on now," Drew scoffs, floating over to the device.</p><p>He attempts to pick it up, but cannot as his fingers somehow miss every time he tries as if swiping right through the object. Upon closer inspection, Drew notices his strangely discoloured and subtly transparent skin. </p><p>"Huh, that's weird, for a second there I thought—" Drew turns around, finally spotting his own motionless figure lying a few feet in front of him. "Holy fucking shit."</p><p>Drew holds his hand over his mouth, not feeling any breath enter or leave. </p><p>"I'm fucking dead?!" Drew yells frantically.</p><p>"No! No, no no no," Danny interjects, rushing over to Drew's cadaver. </p><p>Mustering all of his strength, he manages to flip the body over, laying the back flat onto the ground. A few moments later, Danny places his ear on Drew's chest. He then moves onto opening Drew's mouth slightly, hoping to hear and/or feel for a breath.</p><p>"Oh no, oh fuck," Danny mutters, not hearing any breathing nor a heartbeat. "Fuck, hold on."</p><p>Placing one hand on top of the other, Danny places the palm of his hand firmly onto Drew's upper body and begins performing CPR. Counting in his head, he gives pumps as best in the expected rhythm he can. He stops for a moment to blow in breaths, before returning to chest compressions. </p><p>"Did...did you kill me?" Drew shrieks, grabbing at his ethereal hair.</p><p>"We gotta get you to a hospital." </p><p>Danny slides his arms under Drew's body, grunting loudly as he tries to lift Drew up. Already a little spent from earlier, he is not successful, only straining himself more and tiring out.</p><p>"I'm not strong enough," Danny admits, looking back to Drew's ghost.</p><p>"Don't look at me like that, I can't interact with anything as far as I know. Try calling for an ambulance, or something!"</p><p>Danny crawls toward his phone slightly buried under some dead leaves. He presses the power button and unlocks his phone. His home screen is a jumble of colored stripes and symbols, all scrambled and glitchy. </p><p>"My phone is all fucked up! Like it's getting some sort of interference." Danny turns the phone slightly, allowing Drew to see the fault interface.</p><p>"I'm a fucking ghost! Killed by <em> you </em> from a <em> jumpscare </em> of all things?" Drew wails, gesturing to his corpse. "Isn't there something either of us can do?"</p><p>"Is that what you're really fucking worried about? I d-didn't even think ghosts...were r-real!" Danny confesses with a few tears collecting under his eyes.</p><p>Drew examines his body once more, shivering at the surreal image of death he is staring into. Glaring into his own glossed-over eyes, he sees no evident sign of life.</p><p>"Maybe if I just lay down…?" He rests the manifestation of his essence onto his physical being, but to no avail. He only ends up seeing the inside of his own face, a truly horrifying and indescribable combination of muscle, bone, and blood.</p><p>"Wait! I know someone who might help," Danny exclaims.</p><p>"But you said your phone doesn't work," Drew points out, sitting up and moving away from his corporeal effigy.</p><p>"I don't need a phone to get his attention." Danny then wraps his hands around his lips to amplify his voice. "Vampire Dad!"</p><p>A puff of smoke disperses suddenly next to Danny and Drew. As it dissipates, a figure extremely similar looking to Danny stands firm with one arm holding a cape over his pale face. "You rang?"</p><p>"I thought he was just a character you played as. How come you never told me about him?" Drew raises an eyebrow, growing more confused over the entire situation. "Also what the fuck, vampires are real?"</p><p>"Indeed, you do not believe me standing in front of you?" Vampire Dad pulls his midnight-black cape taut, unveiling his lavish outfit and strangely matte-tinted teeth.</p><p>"Yeah so...Drew and I need your help. He's...uh…" Danny's voice tapers off, unsure of how to describe much of what just happened.</p><p>"I died and now I'm a ghost," Drew explains simply.</p><p>"Oh, shit," Vampire Dad remarks in his peculiar accent. "Well, we should get him to the mansion. His body will certainly be unusable if it stays out here any longer."</p><p>"What do you mean, unusable?" Drew interrogates further.</p><p>"For a resurrection, what else?" Vampire Dad clarifies. "Unless of course, you want to forever stay undead."</p><p>"Fuck, no. I don't want to be remembered dying like this!" Drew protests, vividly remembering all the senses he had while alive, yearning to return to his human ways. "But how are we going to possibly move my body to your place? Danny here can barely lift me to his car to drive me to the hospital! Let alone drag me however far you live from here."</p><p>"I have bats to transport your corpse. You as a ghost are tethered to your body, so you will be taken along with. I can transport Danny with my bat form."</p><p>“This might as well happen,” Drew surrenders any further use of logic. “Adult life is already so goddamn weird.”</p><p>"Alright, good." Vampire Dad snaps his fingers, the sound crackling into the dense thicket. </p><p>It is replied with a low rumbling before a burst of countless bats emerge from the darkest depths, sweeping up Drew's body and flying it off into the night sky with relative ease. Vampire Dad extends his arms out, his fingers contorting into a bat-like configuration and growing wing membrane between each space; the rest of his body transmogrifying into a flying beast. With a screech, he flaps his wings violently, ascending as Danny holds on for dear life.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Cursum Perficio</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Cursum Perficio - "My journey is over." or "I finish my journey."</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Vampire Dad and his legion of bats make haste on arriving at a stereotypically Gothic-style home, composed primarily in shades of black and grey, with tinted windows installed as a safety measure against solar-related death. They enter through a garage-like side entrance, ending up inside a spare room with a large stone table flush against one of the walls. Candles and several stacks of books are scattered around the rest of the room, organized in a manner that only Vampire Dad could understand.</p><p>The swarm of bats places Drew’s body onto a large marble slab, the surface transposing frigidness upon its departed patient.</p><p>“Can we just have a moment to catch up?” Drew interrupts, waving his hands in front of his face. “I thought Vampire Dad was just a character you play; you know, for skits?”</p><p>“It’s a rather long and complicated story, but basically he’s my adoptive dad. Like, I have a real biological dad, you’ve met him. But also, I have a second dad.”</p><p>“And you." Drew turns to face Vampire Dad. "Don’t you have a more convenient first name you go by?”</p><p>“I forbid humans from speaking my true name, for no mortal should have that power. However, sometimes Danny does just shorten it to V-Dad, or just Dad.”</p><p>“Okay then, V-Dad. I’m sorry that I wasn’t properly introduced to you when I was alive. It’s weird, I literally had to die—I hope temporarily, for fucks sake—for me to learn all about this paranormal shit.”<br/>
<br/>
“In my defense, I didn’t know ghosts were a thing. I blame Dad for not filling me in on non-vampire entities.” Danny stares daggers toward his pale, unmoving father figure.</p><p>“Never had a reason to bring it up, sorry son.”</p><p>“Are there any other mythical creatures you'd like to bring up now we're here?” Danny taps his foot, slightly peeved.</p><p>“I suppose ther—”</p><p>“Hey, I know you guys are having a moment, but shouldn’t we get back to, y’know, resuscitating my dumb ass?” Drew interjects, pointing at his corpse.</p><p>“Yeah, maybe we should save this until after, alright Dad?”</p><p>“Right, of course. My apologies." </p><p>Vampire Dad equips his hands with white surgical latex gloves, then retrieves a pair of oval-shaped glasses on the stone table near him. Resting them on the bridge of his sharp nose, he gazes down, studying the victim swiftly. </p><p>"Let me run a short examination of your current state of integrity. I need just a few drops of your blood to continue," Vampire Dad requests politely. "Neither spirit nor body will feel any pain."</p><p>"Go ahead, but is there a way where you don't, y'know, use your fangs?"</p><p>"What the hell? No, I will be using this little needle to prick your finger. Don't just assume that just because I'm a vampire."</p><p>“Well fuck, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean it,” Drew apologizes.</p><p>Vampire Dad pricks the pinky finger, squeezing out drops of blood onto an empty petri dish. </p><p>"Alright."</p><p>He dips his index finger into the blood puddle and then runs his tongue swiftly over the sample. Closing his eyes, he begins to analyze the taste. A deep hunger awakens within, a low growl escaping the pits of his voice box yet having the willpower to suppress the cravings. Over time, the hum grows more into a long, droning resonance. The reverberation travels throughout the large space, only fortifying Vampire Dad's sense of focus.</p><p>"Well?" Danny speaks up, breaking the lull of the humming.</p><p>"His most vital organs seem intact. No sign of blood loss, platelets are in order. Blood is clean, with no signs of rotting or infection." Vampire Dad concludes, writing down notes on his parchment paper.</p><p>"Sounds pretty good so far considering I'm dead," Drew comments, looking at his ghostly hands.</p><p>Vampire Dad returns to visually examining Drew's stagnant condition, gently pressing the skin at points to observe how the cadaver reacts. Noting a few landmarks on the body such as the inner side of the elbows and the forehead, he notices a few pinkish-purple splotches forming in several places, particularly areas of bruising becoming prominent.</p><p>"On the other hand, you do have a fractured nose and a few bruises on your head though; some other scrapes and scratches here and there from the fall. Pallor Mortis is slowly showing face.”</p><p>“That sounds fucking horrible and not as good," Drew corrects himself.</p><p>“How do we revive him?” Danny asks genuinely.</p><p>Vampire Dad takes a step back, removing his glasses. Pensively, he glares at the apparition before jotting down more notes.</p><p>“I usually don't share such knowledge, but since this matter seems important to you, my son, I will divulge. The resurrection process is supposed to mirror how the deceased died in some form. But aye, there’s the rub. Scared to death? Then what would be its inverse?"</p><p>"I don't know, you're supposed to be the expert I thought," Drew answers back.</p><p>"The dead can't meditate, therefore another approach could be to put him in a serene environment.”</p><p>"Like a sensory deprivation tank?” Danny pieces together, snapping his fingers.</p><p>“So a bathtub? That’s gotta be the closest thing we have access to." Drew throws in the idea.</p><p>"Splendid. I assume it’s Danny that has this said bathtub.”</p><p>Danny nods, remembering the pile of laundry he had just left earlier that day in his bathroom.</p><p>"After placing his soul back into his body, you'll have to take care of him for a few days. He needs time to recover with someone familiar close to him or else his body and mind might not fuse back into one being."</p><p>"I mean, I think I'll be capable of helping through that," Danny speaks optimistically, a glimmer of confidence in his eyes.</p><p>"Do you usually deliver all of your conversations in the form of an emotional rollercoaster? Tell me, V-Dad. Are you some sort of doctor for the supernatural?" </p><p>Drew wonders, feeling a distinct vacancy in his soul implying that, in the current reality, he didn't feel the swell of emotions he is claiming to be going through.</p><p>"Not by choice. In my lengthy lifetime of 400 years, I was hired into the medical field a couple of times; they were mostly human cases but some were otherworldly, I’m sure of it. So come on now, let's prepare Drew's body for the ritual. time is of the essence. Follow me."</p><p>With a whistle from Vampire Dad, the bats retrieve Drew's body from the marble slab, keeping it a few feet off the floor as the group trot along to a different part of the mansion. Similar to his adopted child, Vampire Dad has a section of his house dedicated to an unusual number of doors in close proximity to one another. The group stands in front of a white door, with wooden letters ‘DG’ hanging slightly off-level. </p><p>Turning the knob, Vampire Dad opens the door and reveals it to be a stable portal to Danny's home, a one-way entry into Danny's living room.</p><p>"Wait, what the fuck?" Drew asks, astonished at the non-Euclidean nature of the door.</p><p>"Just like how you may have people on speed dial, I have this door-portal magic. I had a wizard friend of mine conjure thi—"</p><p>"Hold up, wizards are fucking real too?" Danny interrupts.</p><p>"I've been scubscribed to Danny for way more than a month and I'm not a wizard," Drew jokes in passing, nudging his shoulder against Danny but only ending up passing through him.</p><p>Vampire Dad shakes his head, before stepping into the door. Danny as well as the bats follow suit, now instantaneously transported over to Danny's abode. With Danny opening the bathroom door, Vampire Dad ushers himself and his compatriots into the rather small area, instructing the bats to lower the corpse slowly and methodically into the tub.</p><p>Danny plugs the tub and then turns on the faucet, portioning equal parts cold and warm. The water is steady, enveloping Drew’s motionless body bit by bit as it fills the container. Danny dips his fingers to double-check the temperature, before shutting off the bath faucet. </p><p>“I’m gonna wake up with wet clothes, fuck.” Drew points out, observing the water seep into his shirt and jean pants.</p><p>“Yeah, we did forget about that, shit,” Danny agrees.</p><p>Drew hovers close to the bathtub, in near proximity to his corpse, waiting to come back to life. He thinks about absorbing back into his own body, an assembly of thoughts and dreams molding into one contiguous and confusing string of being. His determination wavers quickly however, defaulting into a mood of indifference. How did it feel to be human again? It had been only a couple of hours but already Drew can feel his human-defining anxiety deteriorate into a more distinct, undead-tinged apathy. </p><p>“Is there anything I’m supposed to be doing?” Drew questions, his spectral fingers turning clammy as he phases through his physical self.</p><p>“Just keep close to your cadaver, feel calm and collected,” Vampire Dad instructs, mixing a mysterious liquid into the water. “This solution will imbue your spirit back with your physical form, but the processing time can vary wildly from case to case.”</p><p>The liquid shifts from semi-clear to a purplish mix, swirling in a counter-clockwise manner.</p><p>“Oh?”</p><p>Drew wheezes as his spiritual form begins to fade, his voice growing weaker every passing second. The remnants of his consciousness drift into a comatose state, neither living nor unliving but rather the infinitely complicated in-between.</p><p>“That’s part of it, right? We’re not killing him for good, I hope.”</p><p>“Yeah, it is.” Vampire Dad says as he looks at his comical sundial-style watch. ”Fuck, I must leave. It’s nearing 4 AM already.”<br/>
<br/>
“But the sun doesn’t come up <em> that </em> early, I’m sure?” Danny contends, giving a once-over at one of the frosted glass window panels in his bathroom. </p><p>“No, but I don’t hang around people all that much and I’m socially exhausted." </p><p>“Oh, okay," Danny mutters under his breath. "Can you at least pack up the shit I set out in the forest, throw it in my car and drive all that back here?"</p><p>“Surely, I’ll get my bats on that. Good luck, son.” Vampire Dad walks out of the bathroom, closing the door behind him.</p><p>Danny mutters a goodbye to Vampire Dad and his bats before returning his attention to Drew’s motionless body. The bathroom quiets down completely, leaving Danny by himself with his tangibly deceased friend. He places his fingers on Drew’s neck, feeling around for a pulse or signs of breathing. Instead, he feels the inert nature of death, the cold and pallid flesh unnatural contrast to his own blood-fueled warmth. Growing uneasy, he retreats his hand and sits next to the tub, compromising with himself to look indirectly at Drew using his peripheral vision.</p><p>A few more minutes of grueling silence pass before interrupted by soft weary groaning followed by dripping noises. Danny turns his head, snapping out of his dissociative state.</p><p>Drew's eyes slowly open, barely having time to adjust to the light. He takes a deep breath in through his mouth, dry and shaky, and then feels a painful throbbing in his head.</p><p>"Oh god, it hurts…" </p><p>Drew moans, placing both of his hands on his face. With his eyelids squeezing shut, his vision goes wild with shapes and colors, the flicker of phosphenes one of the many things to get re-accustomed to.</p><p>"Drew, oh thank fuck." Danny sighs in relief, running his hands through his hair.</p><p>"I actually thought I was a goner there for a minute, I didn't feel like I was anywhere at all. But then, I came to realize…" Drew sneers, splashing a handful towards Danny. “This water is lukewarm at best.”</p><p>“Hey, that's rude! This is the thanks I get for supervising your resurrection?” Danny chuckles, paddling right back at Drew, the water cresting higher than expected and ending up dousing Drew’s hair.</p><p>Drew braces his arms on either side of the tub, shifting most of his weight off of his back and onto his feet. Carefully, he slings his right leg over, with his left following shortly after. Drew plants his feet firmly on a thick bundle of towels—grabbing at the bathroom counter to keep his balance—his attire sopping wet and heavy on his still-recovering form. Getting a chance to stare into the mirror, he finally sees his alive-again state of being; his visage still ghastly, with splotches of reddish-pink across his neck and cheeks. </p><p>"I am alive, but holy shit did my brush-in with death make me so much paler." Taking one of the large dry towels, Drew runs it over his hair multiple times, with each pass drying it out more and more. He takes off his dampen hoodie and shirt, patting the towel against his torso.</p><p>“Let me get you a fresh set of clothes.” </p><p>Danny rushes out of the bathroom, dashing to his closet space. He had already sectioned off part of his closet just to Drew—fetching a pair of boxers, a well-borrowed shirt between the two of them, and pajama shorts that were bought in request by the Floridian. With garments in hand, his tired mind begins to wander once more, pangs of guilt present as he remembers himself the perpetrator of the cursed night. He finds himself at the door of the bathroom, shaking off his nebulous worry as he comes back to Drew.</p><p>“Nice, thank you,” Drew grabs the neat pile of clothes, replacing the rest of his sodden garb with the fresh set of clothes piecemeal. “So are you just gonna stand there nonchalantly while I change?”</p><p>“Huh? Oh, sorry.” Danny rubs his eyes. “It’s been a long night so far.”</p><p>After putting on the shirt with the name ‘Greg’ written on it, Drew ruffles his hair a bit, drawing out a long sigh. “I don’t think I’ll be able to sleep, actually. I’m not about to slip right back into being unconscious.”</p><p>“I’ll do my best to stay up then,” Danny suggests off-the-cuff, attempting to shoo off the tiredness. “To keep you company, obviously. Must’ve been fucked up to have a literal out-of-body experience. Sorry about that.”</p><p>“I’ll be fine. A bit shaken up, sure, but what’s October without some spooks and scares, right?”</p><p>Danny and Drew soon find themselves watching horror flicks in the living room, with popcorn and liquor in hand. Nothing seriously terrifying as to haunt their dreams, but rather kitschy movies with bad plots and even worse acting. The twilight hours slowly recede as the sky turns a lighter blue and purple, as the two slow their roll of jokes and goofs into a comfortable stillness. </p><p>Danny finally tires out in fighting off his sleepiness, finding himself a personal best in hours awake, while Drew gently coaxes Danny to rest on him, the inebriation churning deep within his stomach, tearing away his otherwise nervous tendencies. Drew musters up the courage to snuggle up close to Danny, comfortable enough to rest his lips on the other’s forehead, feeling the vibration of snoring against his chest; his eyes flutter, barely recollecting the events of just hours ago, feeling safe enough to doze off.   </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Overcast [Epilogue]</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>No summary, we create epilogues like men. I just really wanted to end this entire fic a really cheesy way, whoops.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A few days pass after the incident, the two not straying far from Danny’s house. They found a comforting cycle of lounging candidly, fishing around Instagram and Twitter for new video ideas, procrastinating, and then going back to bed and repeating the process.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On the afternoon of Halloween, Drew had fallen asleep laying down on the couch, knocked out from scrolling down a mundane feed of social media, his feet sticking out past the armrest portion and his hand covering his eyes from the light fixture above him. Despite being hyped up by Danny to appreciate the spooky holiday, Drew couldn’t match the other's level of excitement—part of his well-known brand leans more towards Christmas, after all. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>A homely, nutty aroma wafts throughout the residence, the torrid sizzle of the coffee maker perks up Drew’s ears, sitting upright and looking over to the kitchen. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey Danny, make me a brew too, please?” Drew softly pleads, giggling at his semi-joking tone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danny pours two equal cups of coffee, handing over the more decorated mug to Drew. He then sits beside the other YouTuber, turning on the TV and flipping to a Halloween-related program. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, looking back on it all, it feels more like a fever dream than anything,” Drew admits, tapping his fingers against his coffee cup. “The whole thing was just surreal.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I still feel like I haven’t apologized enough for what happened,” Danny replies, squeezing Drew’s left hand in reassurance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Drew shrugs, fixing all of his attention on Danny. Still not quite used to the warmth of another human being, he scoots closer to the other man, gently leaning his shoulder against Danny’s.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I feel bad that we never got to film that Halloween video like you intended,” Drew comments while blushing lightly, glancing away from the Illinoisan.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can scoot as close as you like but I’m gonna be drinking my freshly hot coffee, so watch yourself,” Danny warns before intentionally slurping loudly from his mug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fuck, you have a point, sorry.” Drew chuckles, cozily wrapping his arm around Danny. “But I’m gonna push my luck regardless.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t make me accidentally kill you again.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Way to make light of my traumatic experience,” Drew ripostes, over-exaggerating an eye roll. “Especially now that it’s actually Halloween, and you don’t have any video to release because of </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Danny frowns a bit, equal parts disappointed in Drew’s need to convey pity, as well as his own participation in manslaughter.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey wait, I have all that Halloween shit in my car. We can just set it up in my office and film there,” Danny suggests with a grin.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But didn’t you want to film specifically in that really spooky forest?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. That was really selfish of me.” Danny places his coffee cup on a coaster in front of him, standing up from the couch. “I shouldn’t be prioritizing my ambitions to the point where I partake in accidental murder. I want a collab with you Drew, first and foremost.”</span>
  <span></span><br/>
<span><br/>
</span>
  <span>“So what you’re telling me is maybe the real Halloween is the friends we made along the way?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Does that mean…” Danny trails off, leading Drew to finish the rest of the sentence with him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you wanna make a video?”</span>
</p>
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